Page 2 of Tempting

Even Charlotte got laid on the old show, and I’m not as uptight as she was.

“I’d like to make a toast.” My big brother, Easton, tugs me to his side and raises his beer. “To my baby sister, Mackenzie. Congratulations on your new job, Kenz. It’s good to finally have you home.” Everyone raises their drinks high in the air and cheers. “Love you, kid.”

He drops a kiss on the top of my head like I’m one of his babies instead of his sister.

“Dude. She’s two years younger than your wife. Not sure I’d be calling her kid,” one of the guys, I think Callen, laughs, and Easton flips him off before I wiggle out of his hold.

“Maybe they’re into that,” gets called out before Lindy shakes her head and kisses Easton’s cheek. She whispers something in his ear, and he smacks her ass.

I’m surrounded by hornballs.

All of them.

But even that thought puts a smile on my face because they’re my people.

And it’s hard to put into words how much I’ve missed being with them.

My friends.

My family.

The ones I claimed as my own after our mom died and left Easton and me with our cousin Juliette as our legal guardian. Jules married Becket Kingston and managed to give us an enormous family who took us in and claimed us as their own. But even better, with them came Brynlee and Lindy. The closest thing I’d ever had to sisters. They introduced me to the twins, Everly and Grace, and as they say, the rest is history. My history.

These women took in a heartbroken little girl and refused to let me close myself off.

We were inseparable.

The kind of girl squad most teenage girls—hell, most grown women—dream of.

The kind that cheers the loudest for you, even if you’re not around to hear it.

Who protects your name in rooms you’re not in.

Friends who make sure—even though you’re going through your residency, hours away, working eighty-hour weeks with no time off to come home—you’re still in every text thread and on as many FaceTimes as possible. They made sure I didn’t miss a thing, even if I couldn’t be here to watch it happen in person.

Even Callen and Maddox texted and sent funny memes.

Completely inappropriate ones that made me laugh so hard I cried.

My honorary brothers.

Of course, Lindy went and married my actual brother, and now I’m stuck hearing about their sex life whenever she feels like torturing me, which is often. But I did get the cutest niece and nephew out of it, so I’ll deal.

Like I said . . . same, but different.

“You’re awful quiet over here, Mac.”

I look up through my lashes at the twins’ brother, Nixon, wondering when he got hot. I guess that’s another one of those new things. I don’t remember Nix being quite so... broad. He was always the quieter Sinclair sibling. The one who went away to Boston for college and came back right before I left for Washington, DC.

His younger brother Leo leans back against the bar on my other side, grinning like a goof. “So, Kenz. You seriously get to look at vaginas all day? Don’t you get sick of ’em? Don’t get me wrong, I love me some?—”

“Leo—” Gracie turns to her brother with fire burning in her eyes as she stops his verbal vomit. “Do not finish that sentence.”

“But—” he starts, and she yanks his earlobe like a naughty child and tugs him away, muttering something about manners.

Nixon shakes his head as he tries unsuccessfully to stifle his laugh. “You think your brother is gonna stop toasting the fact you’re home any time soon? Pretty sure this is at least the third time since you got back in town.”

“Probably not,” I admit sheepishly and glance over at Easton. Lindy’s arms are wrapped around his waist as she laughs at something someone just said. Easton’s relaxed and smiling, and it makes my heart so freaking happy. He spent a long damn time not smiling, and I’ll love my best friend forever for giving him the kind of peace she brings to his life.

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